Improving employment support for people with lived experience of Mental Health Illness

Equil is an Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership project running 2 years, which will develop training and learning resources which support the professional development of both new and existing Employment Practitioners, Educators, Employers and people with lived experience of Mental Ill Health.

The EQUIL methodology is based on co-production. The co-production model overcomes the limits of participation and reaches a level of co-creation where the learner’s needs are put at the centre through them sharing experiences, skills and values needed to be effective employment advisers within this field. It also contributes to the needs of people with mental health illness and supports them in gaining skills and confidence, which improves their employment opportunities.

Experts, academics and professional people participate equally in the co-production as well as end users. All stakeholders are considered an essential part of the project, providing an additional and building a comprehensive point of view of the subject area.

When requested by the Dutch EPALE NSS, Dutch organization Zorgvragersorganisatie GGZ Midden Holland shared one of their materials they brought in to the project: a card game self –mockinly called‘Is there a stitch loose? The aim of the game is creating more openness, recognition, understanding and awareness about mental health issues relating to employment by talking about mental health issues. The card game is suitable to play with practitioners, employers, people with lived experience, colleagues etc.

I fully agree on this didactic approach. Participatory learning effectively leverages the exchange of knowledge and skills and makes learning more confident, placing on an equality plan among participants